Team Sasuke and the Fortress of Shadows
by tReA
Summary: ANBU receives a request from… Hogwarts? Missingnins have infiltrated and are searching for an object. To prevent a repeat Akatsuki, Team Sasuke is sent on the mission. Will they meet Harry Potter? 7th year. Naruto x Harry Potter crossover. nonslash
1. Prologue Nin Mu

**Title: Team Sasuke and the Fortress of Shadows**

**Summary:** ANBU receives a request from… Hogwarts? Missing-nins have apparently infiltrated and are searching for an object. To prevent a repeat Akatsuki, Team Sasuke is sent on the mission. 7th year. Naruto x Harry Potter crossover.

**Disclaimer:** Neither exists while the other is mine.

_A note (notes) to readers:_ Dimension travel No (for me at least). So – Naruto and gang coexist with HP and gang in the same world who _supposedly _coexist with us. The point is, Portkey travel is made possible. Heh…

for the sake of fluency in English (not that I'm that fluent for that matter), I'm gonna treat the terms Shinobi, Kunoichi, Senbon, and whatever else you can think of, as singular terms and add an 'S' as you would apple, orange, ice cream pop if referred to as plurals.

**+ Some Deathly Hallows spoilers below if you still haven't read it… **

I wouldn't try to attempt making this a Humour fic worthy of that categorization due to personal inabilities. Please bear )

Prologue: Nin Mu

Team Sasuke had barely returned from an ANBU mission before they were summoned to the Hokage's office.

"Nooo… Just when I was planning on going to IchiRaku Ramen…" groaned the boy with the mask of a leering fox.

His sentiment was reflected by the soft sighs of the other mask-wearing duo trailing behind him. After all, they had only just delivered their report on their month-long mission which involved all three of reconnaissance, infiltration and retrieval. If they hadn't been sleeping in damp and bug-filled forests, they were sharing very crammed and dusty rooms of shady inns in the Land of Earth; neither of which provided what one would call proper food and lodgings. But aside from that, they had completed their S-Rank mission.

Walking down the corridors leading to the Hokage's office, Naruto indulged in grumbling bitterly, scaring off some of the newer Chuunins crossing their paths. The ANBU, were after all both revered and feared; a pissed off ANBU flanked by two others more so.

Before Naruto could burst into the office and yell, "Tsunade-Baachan", an ANBU with the mask of an eagle opened the door and faltered.

"Oh! Naruto-kun" said the female ANBU. Hinata had, after many years stopped stuttering when faced with Naruto. Perhaps it was because she was so busy with ANBU now that the only times she saw Naruto, she was behind that mask. Hinata had realized her confidence behind that mask which greatly helped develop her potential. She mainly did Recon missions to take full advantage of the Byakugan. But it was also perhaps the mask's ability in hiding her blush that made it easier for her to speak; without stutter.

"Hinata! What are you doing here?" exclaimed Naruto, grinning behind the oddly leering mask.

Just then, the woman behind the desk tapped the wooded surface and said, "You're here Team K-01. I've got a new mission for you and Hinata will your fourth member. Since we all know each other here, might as well remove those masks for now."

They complied.

"But Tsunade-Baachan—"

Sakura and Sasuke inwardly groaned.

"We've only just come back from one of the _lousiest _missions and we have to head out _again_?" Naruto complained. These three years had seen a change in Naruto; or a lack there-of. True, he was more powerful, more responsible and sharper. But he'd retained that attitude of his which only he dared in front of the Hokage.

Tsunade had grown sick of correcting him and so left it at that.

"Actually, no. I'd give you two weeks to prepare for this but if you're so eager…"

Sakura slapped Naruto into a bow despite his protests and said laughingly, "He didn't mean that Shishou!" ()"

"All right, the four of you. A letter from a foreign correspondent has arrived, informing me of certain alarming news. Read this first," she said, handing a letter over to Sakura.

Naruto, Hinata and Sasuke moved around her for a closer look. The letter was in foreign hand.

"Fire Country Asia  
The Hidden Village of the Leaf  
Main administrative Tower  
The Hokage's Office" Sakura translated and dutifully pulled out the letter written on a strange, stiff looking paper of sorts.

"What's… _that_?" Naruto said, pointing, "and who needs to write where they want the letter sent to? Wouldn't that give away information?"

"That's English Naruto. And, well, these people probably do not send stuff the way we do. Is that right, Shishou?" Sakura asked.

"Yes and, well yes. That came in a bird, just that it was an owl. Keep reading."

"Dear Mr. S. Sarutobi,

It has been quite a while since our school last made correspondence with your country. We hope you are all well. I, Professor M. McGonagall would like to introduce myself, as the new Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. These are grave times for our people. Our previous Headmaster whom you were in correspondence with had departed our world a month ago. It is noted in his legacy that I am to inform you of a recent discovery owing to investigations, spawned out of detection of unusual activity, having unearthed the attached. According to instructions Professor Dumbledore left behind, we are to notify you of this matter as it may be of importance to you and your people.

We seek your help on this matter in helping with our investigations.

Thank you.

_Yours Sincerely,_  
_M. McGonagall, Headmistress_  
_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"_

Sakura finished with her words resounding in silence.

"The attached?" Sasuke asked, being the first to respond.

"This," Tsunade said, holding up a hitai-ate with the symbol of Kumogakure. A visible slash could be seen, denouncing its previous owner from his village. Their eyes narrowed.

"Actually, I have exchanged more letters with this Headmistress. This Nin wasn't acting alone. They have retained two other hitai-ates of different villages and all had been slashed." Tsunade said.

"A band of missing-nins… Does _that _sound familiar?" Naruto said sardonically.

"You think… We might have another Akatsuki type?" Hinata said, trailing off softly.

"It seems that they are searching for something which may harness great power. Yes. To prevent a repeat like the last time, I am sending the four of you over to find out what it is. Destroy it if it proves to be dangerous and prevent others from attaining it. Our correspondents have agreed to provide you with cover in the school which appears to house the object or creature. You are also hired to guard the school from infiltration by the missing-nins. Team K-01!" she barked.

The four straightened in attention and replied, "Yes. Hokage-sama!"

"Hawk. I appoint you team captain."

Sasuke nodded.

"Lion," Sakura stiffened as she continued, "Fox, Eagle. You are assigned this S-Rank mission. Since shinobis are involved, be mindful of your identities. You may choose to reveal yourself to whomever you see fit. This will be a mission longer than you've ever taken. I expect updates every two weeks. You have two weeks to prepare," she commanded.

"Now… Other than Sakura who had learnt under me, anyone else knows the language English?" she continued, peering curiously at the group.

There was a ringing silence.

Hinata raised a timid hand.

"Aah… Your father would've made you learn…" Tsunade sighed, looking towards a sheepish Naruto and a scowling Sasuke. Outdone by two kunoichis.

"Hehe… At least, I'm not the only one here…" Naruto teased, grinning at his team mate whose sharp tufts of hair was pointing dangerously at him.

"Actually, Sasuke," Tsunade said, rummaging through her drawers, "Oh. There…" she muttered, tossing five relatively thin books at Sasuke who caught them with his right hand. She proceeded to throw him another two tapes which he caught with his left.

"Try to be finished with the first four books by the day and pass it to Naruto. As for the tapes, they help with the accent. Mind watching them with Kakashi? Just want to save the hassle of lending it out again. I'll be sending you a compilation of data files on this Hogwarts world; report to the gate at 5 a.m. sharp in exactly two weeks. Okay, that's it, K-01, you're dismissed!" Tsunade instructed and waved her hands.

With that, the four ninjas replaced their masks and left the room, heading for changing quarters to shed their attire.

"How – are you going to finish all these books in _one _day? Even a genius would need about a week!" Naruto exclaimed, staring incredulously at Sasuke, having snatched his books to have a look.

Two of them were beginner English-learning books written for Japanese learners. There was an intermediate one, and an advanced one. The last, was a vocabulary builder.

Sasuke smirked and replied, "You'll see."

As Hinata bid them farewell at the ground floor of the building, the three ANBU had already changed into regular gear and were headed for a nearby restaurant. Sakura had refused to have Ramen after being away from proper food for so long, which Sasuke silently agreed. Not wanting Sasuke to have Sakura all to himself, not that Sasuke really bothered, Naruto ditched his choice of food and followed.

Three years ago, Sasuke had finally returned to the village for the final fight with Itachi. When Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi found him, the brothers' fight had already been concluded. Sasuke had killed Itachi but was left near death, bleeding heavily from various wounds and was no where near conscious. Thankfully, Sakura managed to work her miracle on Sasuke and preserved his life. While a charge was being decided on Sasuke, he laid in a heavily supervised ward in the Konoha hospital. After all, he _was _a missing-nin and no one really knew the extent of his intentions.

Technically, Sasuke had not outwardly betrayed the village. He had only defected and was also credited for having slain two of the village's most wanted missing-nins. It was through much shouting on Naruto's part at Sasuke and line of appeals that Sasuke's sentence was significantly lightened. The Uchiha was to serve a five year ANBU bond with the first unpaid. He was also banned from leaving the village even to other parts of the Land of Fire unless it was a part of a mission.

Initially, he felt annoyed when his old teammates joined up with him in ANBU when they turned Jounin. But now, he was grateful he still had them with him. ANBU, with its various covert and mostly highly-trying missions were made more bearable with Naruto and Sakura even as they were falling into frustration and the former, whining. He was resigned that Kakashi was right – he _had _made friends.

As the three 18 year olds waited for their food to arrive, Sasuke picked up the first book, activated the Sharingan and began memorizing the text at first reading.

"No fair!" Naruto yelled, receiving another smirk from Sasuke and a what-you-only-just-realized look from Sakura.

They sat in the restaurant for a couple of hours as Sakura and Naruto talked, occasionally receiving some participation from the memorizing Sasuke. When he finished the fourth, they were ready to go.

"Thought of a short-cut yet dobe?" Sasuke teased as he handed the books over to Naruto.

"Heh! How could I have almost forgotten Kakashi-sensei's training?" Naruto said, grinning as he planned on how he was going to organise his Kage-Bunshins in the memorizing of the book.

"Come along tomorrow?" he asked his teammates.

"I don't see why not." Sasuke replied as Sakura just shrugged with a smile.

"One down, four to go!" panted Ron, flashing his friends a weak grin. They had presently just taken down their first Horcrux, or the third out of the seven – the Slytherin pendant. They had found it only the day before in Sirius' house.

"So, out of the four, we know three of them – the cup, the snake and Vold – oh, sorry I forgot, himself." Harry said as he ticked the list off his fingers. They had learnt the hard way that the name 'Voldemort' had become a taboo word, having been caught and only narrowly escaping with Dobby's help. Dobby's death had shaken them all, but it had also solidified their determination in the elimination of all the Horcruxes. It was also thanks to that incident that they knew where the Hufflepuff Cup is.

"There's a high chance the last item, perhaps the relic of Ravenclaw, is at Hogwarts, considering You-Know-Who's attachment to that place…" Hermione added, seemingly pondering over something.

"Think we ought to give it a shot? At least, it's McGonagall in charge and not some of _his _henchmen. If we can destroy the cup fast enough, we wouldn't even have to skip the sorting…" Ron said.

Even though they had decided not to go back to Hogwarts but to focus on destroying the Horcruxes instead, they had not expected their progress to be this fast. The fall of Hogwarts was inevitable with Dumbledore gone. Still, they had managed to hold out under McGonagall, perhaps also due to other plans on the Dark Lord's part.

"We'll find the Cup and if we've still got no clue as to where and what the last item is, we'll head back to Hogwarts and scout for clues. If it turns out futile, we can always… pull a Fred and George…" Harry concluded.

"Yeah. That sounds pretty good. Plus, You-Know-Who would attempt to take over the school some time anyway. That's two we wouldn't need to find. And Hogwarts could do with three more wizards fighting…" Ron muttered darkly.

"That's settled then. The Cup – I think I might have a plan…" Hermione sighed.

End of Prologue

About the story: Current manga chapter read: 371. Pardon inconsistencies for future readers. I'm ignoring Madara even though he looks like he might play a bigger role in the Uchiha face-off. I dunno. Also ignoring Karin and crew cuz I really just can't be bothered covering so many things. It would jar the fic…

Yet another note to readers: Due to annalistic tendencies, author has passed out from forcing the .IRK.SOME. BLOODY.FREAKIN.AN.NOY.ING. green and red squiggles appearing on the text in Mic. Word to be accepted.

Please support and drop a comment. Thanks D


	2. 1 Tabidachi

Team Sasuke and the Fortress of Shadows

"_Japanese"_

"English"

Chapter 1: Tabidachi [Departure

Sakura was the first to arrive.

Being five minutes early, she was amazed. Standing in front of the guard post, conversing with two exceptionally sleepy Chuunins, Izumo and Kotetsu who were on morning shift, was Kakashi. He turned as she approached and raised his hand in a wave greeting, "Yo, Shishi-san."

Remembering she was masked, she refrained from addressing Kakashi as 'sensei' and settled for replying, "What brings you here so early, Kakashi-san?"

"Aah… Hokage-sama bade me to send you guys off." Kakashi said lightheartedly, placing a hand carelessly on his hair. Just then, Naruto, Hinata and Sasuke all approached from different directions. The four ANBU gathered around the Jounin as they stood by the gates.

"You're early." The one behind the Hawk mask commented in greeting.

"Time constraints. I'll explain outside." Kakashi replied cheerfully, casting a quick glance at the clock in the guard post. He nodded in farewell to the two within and led the group out.

Once out of earshot, Hinata checked the surroundings and pronounced them alone. Kakashi then fished out a Kunai which was marked with the Konoha symbol in blue paint.

"This is what those Wizards call a Portkey. It's supposed to transport you over to their continent at 5.10 a.m. today. Once you miss it, it would go without you. Right, all you have to do is to be touching this Kunai at 5.10 which means we have 7 minutes left. So… Any questions before I give you final instructions?" asked Kakashi.

"We've read the files, but we still know nothing about this magic of theirs. The third's information simply isn't sufficient." Sakura said.

"That can't be helped. We only had limited contact with them the last time. But I'm sure you'd be able to assess their 'magic' when you get there. I've heard it's somewhat similar to Chakra." Kakashi assured.

"One more thing. They're in the midst of a war aren't they? Even though we're only hired to guard them from the Nins, we might somehow get embroiled with the wizards. Plus, this is a school full of the people who practice that magic. We'd be outnumbered if they turn enemy or if we have to fight their 'Death Eaters'. Just what exactly is our permitted status?" inquired Sasuke.

When dealing with missions that involve non-Shinobis, the ninjas were given a status which would limit their skill display. To prevent others from finding out about the village's secrets, certain Jutsus were sometimes banned from missions. Amongst it was also bloodline limits.

"You're allowed to use anything." Kakashi said; drawing raised eyebrows from the team – not that he could see.

"Remember to call when you need reinforcements."

They nodded. Along with the data files of the wizarding world, they had received two personalized scrolls that can transmit messages directly to the Hokage's own scroll. It had been recently invented by Shikamaru who felt that the older method of transmitting messages too slow and troublesome.

"Lastly; the wizards have promised to ensure your safety in the event of an attack by their evil lord. What you choose to do in such an event, whether to help them or not is your will. Just remember, the mission –"

"–Is our first priority. Kakashi-sensei… Isn't it about time?" Hinata asked, having seen the time through the gates of the village.

Kakashi handed them the kunai which they gingerly held.

"Ah… You'll be meeting a Ha-grid there. He's big. Won't miss him. The password he'll tell you is 'Ni-Maru-Ichi', not to be confused with 'two-zero-one' in their language. Well, bye then." Kakashi said, waving smilingly.

Just then, they felt a jerk and found themselves hurling in the air.

They landed crouched, back to back, and ready to attack, having been surprised by the mode of travel. Naruto found himself staring at a very broad, dirtied and frayed cloth, flapping suspiciously above… Two huge shoes? He snapped his head up and was greeted by a menacing shaggy figure with eyes and mouth wide open. He snarled and pounced.

Hagrid found the wind knocked out of him. He was astonished; this boy, no bigger than Harry was able to knock a half-giant down with just a pounce.

"Hey! Hey – hey! Jus' a sec'! I'm Hagrid!" Hagrid said frantically, trying to get the boy off him.

"Password," demanded the masked boy who was now pointing a dangerous looking knife at his throat. Hagrid gulped. The boy's entourage had gathered behind him and were looking down menacingly at him. These were the people he was to escort? He feared for his life.

"Uh-" he sputtered, recalling the five syllables he was made to memorize. "Passwor's Ni-Ma-ru-Ee-chi."

"Pleased ter… Uh… Meet yeh…" he added reluctantly as the boy got off him.

"So you're Hagrid! Pleased to meet you too! We will not fail you in our mission!" the boy said enthusiastically, as if he had never jumped on him and terrorized him with the knife. Speaking of said knife, Hagrid noticed that the boy's hands were already empty. _Who uses knives in this day? _

"Uh – So – I'm ter bring yeh ter see McGonagall if you'd follow me…" he replied nervously. _What was McGonagall thinking hiring these primitive people? _He groaned inwardly.

Hinata and Sasuke were busy analyzing the Chakra flow of the people they passed. There weren't many for a village like that. According to Hagrid's sporadic introductions of the places they passed, the ANBU four gathered that they were in a wizarding village called Hogsmeade which was smaller than their Hidden Villages but not lacking in all the necessary facilities. What was strange about the village was thus the lack of people. Windows had their shutters closed, blinds were drawn. They only people who passed by were hurried and walked in hushed groups. Some cast them an alarmed and suspicious glance. This was not unexpected of people living in the midst of a war.

"Hogs… Head?"

"Uh – Yeah. Well, lets go in eh?" Hagrid said a little uncertainly.

They entered the sinister looking inn. It was completely empty, save for a severe looking woman. Although slightly old and delicate looking, she commanded all the aura of strictness and alertness a Headmistress should possess. This must be the client. Upon laying her eyes on them, she gave them a firm, but inscrutable smile.

McGonagall displayed a different level of Chakra flow; obviously more refined then some of those whom they had seen in the streets – noted Hinata. She knew that while their Captain was too able to see the Chakra within a person, the Sharingan could not perceive the subtle difference of the levels of 'Magic' refinement within the wizards.

Still, it was a puzzle to her. For one, the amount of Chakra they possessed was definitely less in amounts as compared to a trained Ninja. There was also the haphazard nature of the flow of their Chakra. The concentration was on the hands instead of being evenly spread out throughout the body from the centre. The Chakra flowing down the arms is also more refined as compared to that of the other parts of the body's. Perhaps it was result of relying on a secondary source to shape their so-called 'Magic'.

"McGonagall-sama," Sasuke began, "our Hokage would like to pay her respects to you and apologizes for not informing of the change in leadership. As you have requested, we are an ANBU team sent to assist you in investigations regarding the security of your castle against other trained Shinobis like ourselves. As you are new to the rules of our ways, we would appreciate if you would spare a moment for us to explain it now. You may choose to reject our services if you are against it."

"Ah… Since you're already here and our allies, we can drop some formalities. Very well, your terms?"

"Shi-Shi-san"

Sakura nodded and stepped up to explain. What was most important to them for the moment was their identity. They hoped to keep the infiltrators unaware of the presence of other Ninjas and if that failed, the abilities of their enemies.

"I understand that you are called the ANBU. Is there… any special connotations to this name?"

"Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai; that is the full name of our operative. It can best translate to Special Assassination and Tactical Squad. Hokage-sama didn't explain this?" Sakura answered. _Shi-Shou! Trust you to forget they know nothing about our ways! _

There was a pause in the room. Hagrid's eyes widened and McGonagall looked taken aback.

"Assas – sination?" Hagrid sputtered.

"We do assassinations, yes. But mostly, we take secret operations, like this one which may be of utmost urgency to the client's safety and our village's." Sasuke replied. He was losing some patience. They were here to examine the grounds and carry out the retrieval as quickly as possible. They had no time to waste. The longer they stayed, the higher the chances of exposing themselves.

"I'm sorry. We had better head off to the castle now. I have arranged your temporary lodgings for these two weeks before the school term begins." She got up.

Two weeks hardly brought them good. They did not know where to begin with. All the information that the Headmistress had was that they had found signs of forced entry and the hitai-ates which appeared at locations that did not help them with their search.

Two weeks had taught them to expect very strange things in the wizarding world. The wizards' magic differed from the way they used their Chakra in that the wizards chose more often than not to enchant or modify other objects. While their 'spells', 'charms' and 'curses' can be useful for offensive fighting, the Ninjas were skeptical as to their effectiveness. Yet, they had to admit, some of the wand-work was handy and pretty impressive.

Two weeks also meant that the school term would begin and their covert operation would no longer be covert. Sasuke's team thus found themselves in the Headmistress's offices discussing their next step.

"_Sasu-KE. Why can't_ you_ just go see that baa-chan by yourself! I took the whole of night shift last night. I want to_ sleep" Naruto complained. He had only collapsed on the bed for three seconds before Sasuke dragged him up and told him they had a meeting with the Headmistress.

"_But Naruto-kun, __you know this is important... You can sleep after?"_ Hinata said quietly.

"_You brought this upon yourself Naruto for skipping three night shifts in a row. Your one shift last night can't even compensate the sleep Sasuke and I missed covering for_ you" Sakura chided.

"_Stop bickering. We're here." _

"-so as I was saying, it would be best to integrate you into the school to attract as little attention as possible." Professor McGonagall said with slight irritation. The one behind the Fox mask had sat himself on the floor looking as if he had fallen asleep. Their team captain was standing the farthest from her, leaned up against the door with his arms folded. _Such disrespect. _She thought and wondered how their Captain was to hear her quiet little speech when he was so far off.

"How do you propose to _integrate _us into your school?" the one farthest off said, startling the Professor. 'Fox' had also snapped his head up, alert.

"Well... I would have to request that you remove your masks... They are undeniably... conspicuous…"

"_Tai-Chou?" _Sakura asked. Removing their masks would mean revealing their identities. But the Hokage had also given them relatively lax instructions regarding their masks.

"How would that integrate us?" Sasuke asked, smirking a little behind the mask. _Yes, try integrating a pink-haired girl and her pupil-less, blue-haired friend. _

"I was hoping I could decide with your masks off... and if you were to mix with the school, you'd need a real name..."

"_If we keep our family names out of this, we can still hide much of our identities... After all, they are foreign wizards..." _Hinata suggested. Sasuke considered this for a moment. It was true that they did not want to be too obviously ANBU guards sent for the retrieval mission. Yet, to be part of the school whether as students or staff would slow their progress. It was either alert the enemy or take things slower.

He walked forward to the Headmistress's desk and with a flourish, removed his mask.

"Sasuke" he said.

"Sakura" introduced the girl standing most attentively. _Pink hair? A Metamorph? _

"I'm Naruto!" the one who was on the floor now sprang up and revealed another surprisingly young face.

"Hinata..."

"But... You are all so young! I'd thought... An older team was sent to me... I mean, from what the Hokage said... Are you... Of age?" McGonagall said, recovering from the surprise.

"The Hokage promised you one of her best teams and so we are here." Sasuke said with a hint of annoyance.

"Of course... I didn't... mean to doubt your abilities." She replied, still uncertain. She had not expected any results after two weeks as they themselves could find no other traces of the 'Missing-nins'. Still, there _was _no progress. On top of that, she had also never seen them fight and thus was skeptical of their 'primitive ways' as Hagrid mentioned.

"No problem. We're of age from the time we graduate from the Academy! Much like your system. Mm... If the Ninja is capable enough, he can graduate at as young as five years old!" Sakura said with a smile, remembering their sensei.

Professor McGonagall's eyes widened further, "How old _are _you?"

"Eighteen." Naruto said bobbing with a wide green.

"Hokage-sama understood that in this society, your wizards only come of age at seventeen. So she took care to make sure that each of us is past that age so as not to cause problems." Sasuke said, getting a little more annoyed. Fancy thinking such details would have slipped a Hokage?

"Yes... Well, I had thought of making some of you a part of the staff... But since you are so – I mean, you look so young, it would be better to incorporate the four of you with the students? Of course, I will make arrangements such that the hindrance on your time is minimal. Additionally, you would also be able to help guard the students from threat as a part of them..." offered the Headmistress.

"_That can't be helped then?" _Sasuke asked his team.

"_Guess not... __We can probably gather information from the students as well..." _Hinata suggested.

"_I don't see why not." _Sakura agreed.

"_We have to... Attend classes??" _

"_Y__ou can become a teacher dobe... I'm sure you'd rather? Having to do all the extra work of finding out more about stick waving and curse muttering. Interesting-"_

"_Okay, okay I get your point." _

"We accept," the one called Naruto said, eyes drawn in a light frown.

McGonagall felt apprehensive about their short bicker in a language she could not catch.

"How will we be incorporated into the cohort?" demanded their captain once again.

"Accio Sorting Hat!" she said, "we use this to sort you into your Houses like what we do to the new students."

Their eyes narrowed. Sasuke and Hinata had their masks on again and were scrutinizing the Hat's Chakra structure.

"May we know... What _that _does?" Sakura ventured.

"You see, Hogwarts has four Houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house houses wizards of different traits. To help sort our students into the correct houses, the hat reads the student's traits and decides accordingly." McGonagall replied confidently.

"_Reads? __That means it enters our minds?" _Sakura whispered urgently.

"_I can't__ tell... Maybe it is able to do some form mind entering Jutsu... Like Ino's." _Hinata said.

"_We cannot allow that." _

"_Of course not, dobe." _

"We are not allowing a foreign source entering our minds and delving into our village's secrets." Sasuke said coldly, annoyance reaching its peak.

"But that would be the only way... It is a tradition we have always upheld..." protested Professor McGonagall who was equally bothered by now. She had allowed the Ninjas most of what they had demanded. If it was their custom, she had tried her best to accomodate. Here she was, leaving the security of her students against the mysterious invaders to the hands of the four young ANBU, giving in to their 'customs'. Yet, they had refused to adhere to much of the wizarding rules.

"_Sasuke-kun... Don't you think... We've treaded a little too much upon their hospitality? __I mean, we have always refused to follow their rules but she's always given in to ours..." _Sakura said a little timidly, sensing Sasuke's vehemence.

Sasuke sighed, _"And let them read our minds?" _

"_If it works like __a Jutsu, we may be able to block it even wearing the hat..." _

"_Sakura-chan's the best against __stuff like that. Would you try Sakura?" _

"We understand it's your tradition McGonagall-sama... So I'm going to put on the hat. But please understand that we have to conceal many secrets with relation to other missions and all. I'm not sure how this may turn out for your hat but if it cannot read us, would you decide for us instead?" Sakura proposed.

"Very well then." Professor McGonagall replied. The girl was well-mannered, at least.

Sakura put on the Sorting Hat.

_My... I've never come across one who can close off their minds so effectively. _

_I did not entirely..._

_I am just a hat. My abilities are limited. If you would allow just a little more... _

_I'm sorry. I cannot possible do that. _

Sakura removed the hat which pronounced her mind unreadable. McGonagall frowned a little. Of course, she would've expected them to be skilled in blocking their minds like using Occlumency. But the hat uses a different way of reading which by passes Occlumency. What did this girl do?

"_If it's Jutsu, it's a weak one. __We don't have to worry now if she insists that all of us will have to have a go." _Sakura evaluated for her team mates.

Resigned, McGonagall said, "All right. If that's that, then I'll tell you the main traits of the four houses. You would know yourselves better than I would. So decide it yourself. Gryffindor values bravery; Ravenclaw takes in the gifted and the clever; Slytherin the ambitious and cunning; and Hufflepuff the loyal and hardworking. They are represented by the Lion, Eagle, Snake and Badger respectively. It may do you good to know that Slytherin and Gryffindor are not on very good terms and the former is famed for producing dark wizards. Choose well."

"From what you said, it looks like that Hufflepuff takes in the leftovers..." Naruto said, fingering his chin.

"Hey! How could you say that of Hufflepuff house!" one of the portraits exclaimed surprising Naruto. They had been passively watching up to now.

"You know, one of the reasons why Hufflepuffs never became Headmasters was because of their... traits..." sniggered the sleazy voice of yet another portrait.

"_There are four of us..." _Naruto observed, ignoring the portraits. On the first day of his entering the office, he had been shocked by the speaking portraits and had thrown a kunai that would've hit it dead centre. Had it not been for the defensive spells on the portraits, the kunai would not have been stopped.

"_One to each house. This way we would __be evenly spread out in the day." _Sasuke instructed.

"Huh... Slytherin sounds like someone we know doesn't it?" Naruto taunted.

"_Dobe._" Sasuke said before turning to look at McGonagall, "we are going to split into all four houses. Is that all right?"

She nodded.

"Naruto-kun can go to Gryffindor..." Hinata said.

"Heh! And Sasuke the snakey can go join your friends in Slytherin..." Naruto laughed.

"Fine. Sakura, Hinata, looks like Ravenclaw can do for the both of you but..."

"Sakura-san should go to Ravenclaw. I mean, she _is _the one who graduated with the best test scores and all..." Hinata said.

"Well, if that's settled, we have to get your school stuff from Diagon Alley. I'll arrange a timetable with minimal classes for you." McGonagall said, tone slightly warmer than before.

"You're dismissed."

"This is getting interesting isn't it?" asked a portrait.

"Perhaps, Albus."

End of chapter

A note: Sorry guys, studying for major exams. It starts in about 25 days. I'll try to put up a chapter before then...

Man... I really hope this isn't too sucky...

Anyhows, reviews would be appreciated. Thank you.

**(BK) Ni Maru Ichi: Tribute to the final episode of Darker than ****Black. **

I've never believed that the Sorting Hat would be able to sort the ninjas. Twahaha...


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